Regularly replacing the carpet in your Hillcrest rental home is essential, but not many landlords find it enjoyable. Have you ever considered eliminating the carpet from your rental home altogether? Increasingly, rental property owners are opting for hard-surface flooring over wall-to-wall carpeting. If this idea appears too extreme, think about why completely removing the carpet makes sense for both landlords and tenants.
Carpets may harbor dirt and odor
Maintaining carpet cleanliness in a rental home is one of the most difficult tasks. Despite professional cleaning between tenants, they may not maintain the carpets themselves during their stay. If tenants stay for years, the carpets may accumulate significant dirt and grime over time.
Carpet fibers are known for clinging to bad odors, particularly if they aren’t cleaned regularly and adequately. Even if your tenant has the carpet cleaned, they likely prefer to avoid the cost or time involved.
Conversely, hard-surface floors like laminate or tile are easy to clean. These floors can be scrubbed to shine in a few minutes and as often as tenants wish, ensuring no unpleasant stains or smells. Unlike carpet, hard-surface flooring is significantly more sanitary for children and people with respiratory or health issues.
Avoid soaked carpets in case of a flood
Another reason to eliminate carpets is the difficulty of cleaning them after water leaks and floods. Even a minor plumbing problem can result in significant flooding in a rental, and wet carpets can become a serious issue.
Soaked carpets must be removed, and the subflooring, pad, and carpet must be dried immediately and thoroughly to avoid mold growth. If the carpet cannot be dried, it needs to be replaced. If a flooding situation is not handled promptly and correctly, you could endanger your residents’ health and face severe liability.
Most hard-surface flooring, aside from natural hardwood, is much easier to deal with in a flood. If properly installed, most types of laminate and vinyl are highly water-resistant and can be dried efficiently. This means there will be no need for costly restoration services or replacing flooring, just a focused clean-up.
Hardwood floors have a longer lifespan
It’s widely understood that carpets must be replaced every five years. Some landlords attempt to extend that to seven years or more—typically to their detriment. Most tenants don’t like living on old, worn, or stained carpets. If the carpet isn’t replaced on a regular basis, they may think about moving out.
Old carpeting looks bad and can be dangerous. When carpets age, tacks can emerge and harm people walking on them. Cheap carpet, especially, doesn’t last more than a few years in rental conditions.
Hard-surface flooring, however, lasts much longer. Though tenants could damage hard-surface floors, most tile or laminate flooring will last at least ten to twenty years. Laminate flooring costs roughly the same as carpet but doesn’t need to be replaced as often, making it a better choice for rentals.
Ditch the outdated look of carpets
Ultimately, wall-to-wall carpeting can sometimes give a rental property an old-fashioned look. Modern homes usually limit carpeting, often to the bedrooms or not at all.
For a modern look, consider replacing the carpet in the main living areas with attractive laminate or tile flooring. Unlike carpet, which tenants cannot change, hard-surface flooring enables them to add rugs or décor items to customize the space without sacrificing cleanliness or durability.
Modern laminate tile comes in a wide range of sizes, colors, and patterns, including wood-look tiles that can upgrade your rental without the expense and hassle of natural hardwood.
Discover why hard-surface flooring is beneficial for rental properties. Contact Real Property Management Realevate Specialists at 858-997-2100 or 951-461-0100 or online for cost-saving tips on creating attractive, durable interiors tenants will love. Our property managers in Hillcrest are experts in reducing maintenance costs without sacrificing tenant appeal.
Originally Published on May 7, 2021
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